Improvement in railroad-conductors  ticket-box and fare-detector



EDWiN coWLEs, oir-CLEVELAND, onto.v

Letters Patent o. 94,081, lated August 24, 1869. l

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CONIUCTORS' TICKET-BOX AND FARE-DETECTOR.

Tl-xefSchedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

To all whom it may cmwern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN' COW'LES, of -Gleve" land, inthe county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and' improved Portable Ticket- Case and Fare-Detector; V and I do hereby declare that the rvfollowing is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisispecication, vin whicha Figure 1, plate 1, is a perspective view ofthe iniproved case land detector complete, exposing' the yside iiom which the tickets are removed;-

Figure 2, plate 1, is a section, taken longitudinally through the case and detector, in the plane indicated by line z, fig.-3. 4

Figure 3, plate 1, is a sectionthrough the case and detector, taken in the plane indicated by red line a: in fig. 2. Y

Figure-4, plate 2, is a section through the cancelling and dating-devices, and through the receptacle for the pieces punched or cut from the tickets.

Figure 5, plate 2, is axsection, taken transversely through the ticket-case, in the plane indicated by line y in iig. 2.

Figure 6, plate 2, is an enlarged end View ofthe cancelling and dating-devices. g

Figures 7, S, and 9, plate 2, are viewsl of plates, which are applied to the piles of tickets when ccniined in the cells ofthe case.

Figure 10, plate 2, is anend-view of the tubular receptacle for containing .the punchings of the tickets.

Figure 11, plate 2, is au inside view oi' the sealplate for said tubular receptacle.

Similar letters-of reference indicate corresponding parts-in the several figures. l. j

The primary object of this invention is to protect railroad companies and others interested' in the conveyance of persons Afrom one part lofthe country'to another, by compelling conductors to make correct returns for the money which theycollect'from passengers.

The natlue of my 'invention consists'- First, in a portable cellular ticket-case, Vwhich is adapted for containing, under lock, .all the dili'erent kinds'ot` tickets required for stat-ions upon a railroad, and which is provided with a cancelling-punch and a dating-stamp, applied on one end of a tubular receptaclefwhichfwill receive the punchings,'and indicate to the .proper ofcer the number of tickets punched,

their date andvaluc, as will be'hereinafter explained.

Secondly, inY a portable cellular ticket-case, which is provided with an :u'm-ringand also'a receptacle for the punchings of the tickets, which latter is arranged in such relation to the said arm-ring as to `servethe purpose of a convenient handle -for holding the casein position upon the arm with one l1and,'whilc withdrawing the tickets and cancelling them with the other hand, as will be hereinafter explained. v Thirdly, in a cancelling-punch, in combination with l a receptacle for the punehings, and also with a safetylock, said parts being constructedinsuch manner as to prevent the removal of ithe punchiugs 'from their receptacle without detection, as will be hereinafter` explained.

Fourthly, in combining a spring division-slide with the receptacle for the punchings of the tickets, in such lmanner'as to enable a conductor ,to separate the 1 punchings'collected from tickets that are sold'while travelling 'in one direction over the road, from those collected on the return trip, as will be hereinafter explained. a Fifthly, in a ticket-case, which is subdivided into a number of cellsfor containing tickets representing different fares or values, and which` is 'provided on one side with a slotted face, through which the tickets can be removed, one at ay time, aud'on the opposite side with a removable back, for allowing the insertion of the tickets into their respective cells, which back'is provided with a suitable lock, for preventing access to the tickets in this direction, except byan olicer appointed for the purpose, as will `be hereinafter` explained.

Sixt-lily, in a sliding ticket-extractor, which is constrncted so that one ticket only can be Withdrawn from a cell at a time, and so that a ticket cannotbe returned to its place in a cell after it' is once drawn, except by,

the key-holder of the case, asA will be hereinafter explained.

Seventljly,in a ribbed back plate to the casein combination with an extracting slide, whereby the hooked end of the said slide can be returned to a position for taking a succeeding ticket after the withdrawal of a ticket from its receptacle, as will be hereinafter explained. n

To enable others skilled in Athe art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction' 'and operation.

In the accompanying drawingsl A vrepresents a rectangular case or box, which may be made of thin metal, to' afford lightness,iand.whi'ch has its front side A' made up of narrow strips, With spaces `b between them, and its opposite side B hinged at h, and provided with a suitable lock, L, for allowing access to vthe interior-of the case by the person holding the key of this lock. f

The flanged, which surrounds the' front side A of the case, projects from the side far enough Yto serve asa guard for the' exposed ends c of `extuactor's J, pro'- jecting througlrslots or spaces has shown in iig. 1. The back plate B has a ring, G,- securedv centrally to it, through which" the arm of the `person carrying the oasel is passed, and by means of which such per son will have both hands free.

From one end of the caseA, a' tube, D,exteuds horizontally, which tube is rigidly secured to the case,

and has rigidly secured to its outer end, at, right an, gles to it, a tube, E, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

' These two tubes, thus arranged, form a T-shaped handle,and are grasped by the hand ou the. arm, which is passed through the ring C, when the condnctor desires to hold the case iu'a position for drawing tickets from the faceA.

The said tubes also serve other purposes, which when. cover B is shut, a space, N, will be left betweenf the 'rear ends of the cells and said cover. h

The upper side of the bottom of eachcell or horizontal-.row of cells, is in the plane of the slot b of such cell or vrow of cells, as shown in figs. 2 and 5, and at the front passage b of each cell, a stop, e, is formed, whichis designed for preventing the ticket-extractor J of such cell being drawn out further than is necessary to expose the ends of thetickets to vbe taken by the lingers. i

By making the cells shelter than the tickets which they are designed to receive, it will be seen that a suficient len gth'of'the tickets will be exposed at the backof the cells to grasp them, and thus allow their ready removal by the proper oliicer when the cover B is oli".

vBy printing or engraving, in any suitable manner,

upon that portion of the face of the plate A, closing the front end of each cell, such numbers, letters,- or other characters as will indicate the kind 'of ticket in such cell, the required ticket or tickets can be drawn ""withgreat facility, and by the exercise of a little .care

on the part'of aV-conductor, he will not be likely to draw wrong tickets. A

Each cell is provided with an eXtractor,'J, and a follower, K, between which the `pile or pack of tickets isv confined by a spring, p, interposed between follower K and the top of its cell.

The extractor J is constructed with a narrow fingerpiece, c, and bevelled-edge tinesc" cion its front end,

andwi'th' hooks c* con its rear end, together with a.

notch or space, c2, in this end.

, The finger-piece c projects through the slot b of its cell, and the tinesc3 ci are located in rear of the stop c,on 4the bottom of such cell, so that while-a ticket, lying next to the extractorJ, can' be drawn from the bottom of its pile, between the said stop and the lower -edge of the strip which covers the cell, still the extractor cannot be drawnentirely out of its cell, because the points ofthe tines c3 c4 will bebrought against the stop, and wouldcurl upv andbe broken .by its'forcible withdrawal, which would expose an attempt at fraud.`

The two tines, e, curve upwardly, and will resist an'attelnpt to insert a ticket into a cell through the slot b of such cell as indicated by lig. 9,' in which the led lines are supposed to be a ticket.

The rear end of each extractor J is turned up nearly the thickness of a ticket, for' the purpose lof allowing the tickets'tobe drawn one at a time from a cell, arid the rear end of each extractor is notched, at c2, for'the purpose of allowing the'hooks or turned-up portions cl c1 to be moved back of the rear ends of tlie'ticketswhen arranged iu their cells, as shown iu two instances in iig. 5.

The rear ends of the tickets in the several piles, abut againstlibs fr Ir, which are formed on the inner side of the cover B, which ribs prevent the tickets from abuttingv against this side of the cover; and by reason of the notches c?, in the rear ends of the extractors J, the hooked'portions el care allowed to pass back of the tickets, as shown in tig. 3.

' The tube E is separated into two apartments by a division-plate, d3, applied lat themiddle of its length, as shown in figs. 2, 3,A and 4. v

This plate d is on the end of the rod. d1, which is arranged in the tube D, and which is acted upon by a cated in figs. 2 and 3. f a

By means of thumb-piece d, the division Z3 can be moved back, and anything which was above this division, allowed to drop in to the lower-portion of the receptacle or -tube.`

'which is notched through its flanged end, asfshown iu V', are arranged in the annular groove in said collarj,l for catching and holding one of the said hooks g', and thus locking the cap g in place, as shown'in iig. 2.

By means of a suitable key, inserted through a hole made through cap g, the'spn'ng-catch s2 can be pressed to one side, and' the cap removed by a quarter turn.

A plate, rv, perforated to receive through it the he broken by the insertion of the ,key or other instru.- ment. i

lock, as other well-known locks may be used in its stead.

I, however, prefer to use this kind of lock, because of its simplicity and security.

F, is applied, by a sliding collar, F2, which collar and head are acted,A upon by a spring,V s, bearing against a fixed flange, t, and coiled around the collar and tube, as clearly shown in figs. 1, 2, and 4. The spring s will press the upper .end of collar F2 manently secured to the upper end of tube E', as shown a piece of rubber, or other suitable yielding substance. The head F is constructed with guides w,`which leave between them and the flat surface of the platen' G, a space for receiving one ticket at a time Vover the upper end of' tube E, and allowingl the ...ticket to be pressed 'against a.gauge-li'p, Z, formed on the head F, as shown in fig. 4.- v

H is a cylindrical punch, which is secured to a plate, o, of the movable head F, sof-that itsv airisv coincides with the axis of the tube E, and which may, have its than it wouldif made square.

By the bevelling of the punch, as shown in iig. 4, it -will make a clean cutby a drawing action. ,Y

'The edge of .the bore of the tube E, .against which the cutting is performed, may be faced with a steel lwill not be readily dulledand^also so that thepunch# said tube, and willI not clog therein.

The punch-head isv provided with .a sliding top,iF1,

which covers thegplate o, and serves as an. abutment formed in the head F over the platen G, andi'which are locked in vsaid recess by athumb-screw, s1. i

Types nare arranged ou .the opposite side of the punch H to thegauge-lip l, andaredesigned for dating tickets in the act of punching holes through them to cancel them.

A In conjunction with types n, a ribbon, treated with spring, d2, that keeps the plate d3 in the position indi A collar, f, is formed on the lower end'of tube E,

iig. 10, for receiving hooks or slotted tongues g', formed on one side of a'cap, g. A spring-catch, s2, and a stop,

three hooks, g', as shown in iig. 11', may be used for. confining between it and cap g, a piece of paper, or other substance, which would cover the key-hole, and

I do not coniinemyself to this construct-ion of seal I Upon the upper end of the tube E, lpunch-head,

up against the bottom of aplaten, G, which perf in iig. 2, and 'which may bepartly covered on top by vlower cutting-end bevelled, so as to cut.n1ore readily ring of less diameter than this bore, so that the'edge ings will be of less diameterthan the inner diameter of for types n, whichare inserted into a suitable recess coloring-matter, is used, and arranged as indicated by the red line in fig. 4.

vThis ribbon is, wound upon the fi of milled thumb-wheelsjj.

The spring s will keep the punch in position for receiving beneath it a ticket.

. The cap or sliding top F1 affords a ilat surface upon which to press the punch through a ticket, and allows access to types n, for readily changing them from time to time.

The tickets which I shall adopt, will have printed upon them, besides the names and numbers of stai tions upon a given road or route, their respective values, and also certain consecutive numbers indicating their order of arrangement in their respect-ive cells in case A.

he consecutive numbers and price-mark will be printed near one end of each ticket, within a space of less diameter than the punch H, so that when aticket is cancelled, by punching it as above described the piece punched out will have printed upon it the pricemark and number of the ticket, and will be received in the tube E, for inspection by the proper otlicer, and a comparison by him with the tickets which are found in the case A. Y

The dating-stamp will render the ticket useless for any other trip.

lVhen the case needs replenishing w'ith tickets, it is unlocked by the proper oiccr, and the'tickets are inserted into their respective cells from behind the face A and between the followers K, and the remaining number of tickets in the cells, in they are to be drawn.

Then every cell in the case is `filled, it is again locked and delivered to the conductor.. The tickets being all numbered and arranged in the order in which they are to be drawn, and a record thereof made, with the value of the same, a comparison of the ease, at the end of theretnrn trip, will exhibit accurately the numberof tickets which have been drawn from the Vcase,a.nd the value ofthe same, thus rendering it impossiblel for a conductor t defraud the company by false returns', without the fear of detection.-

the order in which u a l n Y Having described my nivention,

l/Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A portable cellular ticket-case, A A B, provided with an arm-ring, C, and a handle, D E, constructed substantially as described.

2. rIhe arrangement, within a case, A, having ay slotted face, A', and a hinged or movable back, B, of a number of ticket-cells, each one of which contains a ticket-extractor, J, and a stop, e, substantially as described.

3. A cellular-ticket-case, constructed with slotted face, A, and with a space, N, between the rear ends of the cells and a ribbed back, B, substantially as described. i

4. The combination oi' a cellular tieket-case with a punch and a receptacle for the punchings, substantially as described.

5. A cancelling-punch, H, applied to springhead F, in combination with a receptacle, E, and a locking-device therefor, substantially as described.

6. A cancelling-punch, H, and dating-types a, applied to a spring-head, F, and 'combined with a receptacle, E, and a locking-device, substantially as described.

7. -The division-slide d, in combination with apunchin g-device and a receptacle for the punehings, substantially as described. x

S. An extractor, lT,constructed with tines upon its front end, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9. Notching the hooked ends of the extractors, sub stantially as and for the purposes described. ,y

10. The stops c, upon the 'bottoms of the ticketcells, in combination with extractors having tines formed on their front ends, substantially as` de-V scribed.

EDWIN COVVLES.v

Witnesses:

FRANKLIN RIDGEWAY, FREDERIC LocKLEY. 

